Australia’s US ambassador Kevin Rudd to step down early

Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, will step down from his post a year earlier than expected, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday, following past criticism of US President Donald Trump.

Rudd, a former Australian prime minister, will conclude his posting in March and return to lead the Asia Society think tank, Albanese told a news conference. He stressed that relations between Canberra and Washington remained strong.

“Australia and the United States are the closest of friends and allies, and this will never change,” Albanese said. “We will continue to take forward the important work that Kevin has done, some of which is, of course, ongoing.”

Albanese said Rudd had secured continued backing from the Trump administration for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program, Australia’s largest defence project, and had negotiated a critical minerals agreement with the United States.

Before becoming ambassador, Rudd had publicly criticised Trump, at one point calling him “the most destructive president in history,” a comment he later deleted after his appointment. During an October White House event attended by Albanese, Trump gestured toward Rudd and remarked, “I don’t like you either, and I probably never will.”

Despite calls from Australia’s opposition for Rudd to be removed over his remarks, Albanese said in October that the ambassador would complete his four-year term. On Tuesday, the prime minister said the decision to leave early was “entirely Kevin Rudd’s decision,” adding that a successor would be announced later.

A White House official told Reuters that Rudd “worked well with President Trump and the administration” and wished him well.

In a post on social media platform X, Rudd said he would remain in the United States to work on “the future of US-China relations,” which he described as central to regional and global stability. He added that he had hosted a dinner two days earlier for Pentagon Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who led a review of the AUKUS pact last year.